Nakita has been a writer and educator for our company for many years. I have always been impressed by her literary talents-she is articulate, knowledgable and organized. She always communicates her ideas (or ours) with a high level of professional and integrity…not to mention, promptly. Whether writing about products, lifestyle, or instruction manuals, Nakita’s writing offers clarity, information, and understanding that is easily absorbed by the reader.

Amy C., Marketing and Media Coordinator, Kolya Naturals

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Nakita Valerio Honoured with the Sir Guy Carleton Graduate Scholarship in History

Join The Drawing Board community in congratulating owner and editor-in-chief, Nakita Valerio, on being the recipient of the Sir Guy Carleton Graduate Scholarship in History. This award is endowed by the late Mrs. Agnes Agatha Robinson and is one of two scholarships awarded annually to graduate students of outstanding merit: one in English and Film Studies and one in History and Classics. The award comes with significant funding which will be used to fund her studies in Edmonton and research abroad. Join us in celebrating this monumental honour.

The tentative title of Nakita’s thesis is: Remembering the Departure of Morocco’s Jews: Personal Memories, Cultural Representations, Historiography and Silences

Nakita Valerio is an academic, activist and writer in the community. She is currently pursuing graduate studies in History and Islamic-Jewish Studies at the University of Alberta. Nakita was named one of the Alberta Council for Global Cooperation’s Top 30 under 30 for 2015, and is the recipient of the 2016 Joseph-Armand Bombardier Canada Graduate Scholarship from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, as well as the Walter H. Johns Graduate Studies Fellowship. She has also been honoured with the State of Kuwait, the Queen Elizabeth II, and the Frank W Peers Awards for Graduate Studies in 2015, as well as the Sir Guy Carleton Graduate Scholarship in 2016. She has been recognized by Rotary International with an Award for Excellence in Service to Humanity and has been named one of Edmonton’s “Difference Makers” for 2015 by the Edmonton Journal. Nakita is the co-founder of Bassma Primary School in El Attaouia, Morocco and the Vice President of External Affairs with the Alberta Muslim Public Affairs Council.